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Relax, It’s Just God: Last Call!

Relax, It’s Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids About Religion When You’re Not Religious is slated for release March 31, 2015 — just in time to not be given out as Christmas gifts. What timing! I’m super excited, and grateful to all of you who have stuck with me all this time. How did four years go by? Jesus Christ. My kid is old now.

I’ll be updating you as regularly as I can, but in the meantime, let this serve as last call: If you’d like something specifically to be covered in the book — or have a particularly nagging question or concern — let me know that now! It’s not too late, but will be soon.

The Christmas joke. Very funny. Congratulations on the book. Such an accomplishment. I would be interested to know — what draws a non-believer to religion or a faith in a higher power? Is there ever a flicker that maybe a spiritual dimension does exist?

Thanks, Jamie! I’m not sure I understand your question, though, unless you mean to ask what makes me interested in religion and faith? Well, I find religion fascinating from a sociological standpoint, but honestly the only reason I’ve written this book is because I wanted to know (as so many others do) how to raise a kind, compassionate kid who doesn’t judge people based on their religious beliefs and who feels genuinely free to make up her own mind about matters of faith. That said, it would be inaccurate to say that I, personally, am somehow open to faith in a higher power. I haven’t felt that sort of flicker since I was a child…

It is easier for a parent to bring up a child without religion because it makes the parent feel good. You see we all like to be right especially to our children because if we aren’t then we may be looked upon as stupid.

Put this in context of marijuana. Is it dangerous or not? To one person using it, it may be okay but to another very detrimental. How many times has it led to further drug use? We don’t know. I know how it affected my brother-in-law. No, it didn’t kill as medically he died of cancer but did marijuana contribute to it? Don’t know.

So here we have two cases of the unknown. The outcome of habitual drug use is well know yet there are some who “recreationally” do it and get away with it. You may say the outcome of believing in God is not know either. Agreed. But believing in God is much safer than taking drugs.

Lastly, research the history of words and the recording of words. After you do that think of all the books you have read. Are they true? Are the facts that Wendy writes about true? If certain books you learned from in school are not in print any longer and gone forever how do you know what you learned from them is true? Or if one text book in school contradicts another text book which one is right?

Now stop and remember that the Bible is the oldest book being published. That must mean something. More important the message in the Bible has not changed. God created the world and Jesus was sent to save us from our sins. Through faith believe in HIm and you will have ever lasting life.

Faith? Okay, look up the definition first. Then do a simple chemistry experiment following the directions in the book. Do you believe it will turn out as the book explains? If you answered yes then you have faith.

CONGRATULATIONS!! I am so happy for you…and so happy that your book brought us together. You’ve been a great resource for a first time parent (and Long Beach resident!) trying to navigate religion with her child. I can not wait to read it!!
xo

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Due out March 31, Relax, It's Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids About Religion When You're Not Religious offers a well-researched look at a timely subject: secular parenting. With chapters on avoiding indoctrination, talking about death, vaccinating kids against intolerance, dealing with religious baggage, and getting along with religious relatives, the book offers a refreshingly compassionate approach to raising religiously literate, highly tolerant and critically thinking children capable of making up their own minds about what to believe. The book may be pre-ordered by visiting Brown Paper Press.

Natural Wonderers is my new blog published by the Patheos faith network. An extension of my previous blog — Relax, It's Just God — Natural Wonderers offers stories and advice on raising curious, compassionate children in secular families.